Lunar Eclipse
by oO-Alice-Cullen-Oo
Summary: Post New Moon: Graduation day is at hand, and Bella is anxious to become one of the Cullens. But, what secrets have they been keeping from her? Why hasn't Alice been hunting? And what does Edward have planned for after the graduation party?
1. Graduation

I had been waiting for this day for months. Graduation. It was after today that Carlisle had agreed to change me into a blood-thirsty monster. I couldn't wait. As I stepped out of bed, I tripped over my scrapbook, the contents of which I had been working on the night before as I waited for Charlie to go to bed. As I fell to the floor I felt Edward's hard marble arms catch me.

"Good morning," he said in his angelic voice. "It's a bit early to be visiting Carlisle, wouldn't you agree?" I looked at his perfect face. He was smiling my favorite crooked smile.

"What makes you think that a little fall like that would send me to the emergency room?" He stared me with mock surprise at the question.

"Honestly, Bella. Your scrapbooking supplies are everywhere. You could have stepped on those scissors and needed stitches, or sprained your ankle trying to avoid wrecking your photos, or even gotten a concussion when you hit your head a little too hard on the floor. Just think, if I hadn't been here, you could have ended up looking like a train wreck for your graduation."

I turned my back towards him and folded my arms across my chest.

"I'm _still _not as fragile as you think you know." He spun me around to face him again, startling me.

"Oh, aren't you?" He pulled me closer causing my heart to flail around in my chest. Tilting my chin upwards, he smiled as he heard my heart pounding in my chest just as it did every time I was around him. As he leaned in closer, I remembered myself.

"Whoa! Wait a second! You can't kiss me yet!"

Edward looked at me with a look of confusion.

"Why in the world not?" he asked. I clamped a hand over my mouth.

"Morning breath," I said, my voice muffled from behind my hand. He chuckled and gently took my hand. He bent over and pressed his cool smooth lips to the back of it. It sent chills running up my spine.

"I'll be waiting," he whispered.

I hurriedly sifted through the clothes in my closet for something that made me look somewhat presentable. Of course with Edward and his godlike perfection at my side it really was a lost cause. I finally decided on a dark blue blouse, the one Edward had once complimented me on, and a pair of white jeans. As I made my way out, carefully avoiding all of my clothes that had been strewn about the room, I glanced back to see Edward grinning at my mess. I felt my cheeks turn red as I made my way to the restroom. After a quick shower, I brushed my teeth and made my way back to my room. As I entered the bedroom, I froze with my eyes wide in fear. I had to lean against the wall to keep myself from falling over. Edward was nowhere to be found.

Instinct told me to retreat to the numb, zombie-like trance I had submerged myself in a few months ago. I could feel the hole in my chest begin to resurface as I struggled to breathe. I tried to reason with myself that there was no reason for him to be gone, but the pain kept coming. I had finally woken up from that beautiful dream, only to find myself trapped in the nightmare in which _he_ did not exist.

I was on the verge of tears as I said his name.

"Edward," I said my voice no louder than a whisper. The sound of his name burned my throat as it rolled off my tongue, my heart felt like it had been ripped out. The pain was growing so intense that I considered letting myself be taken by the numbness again when I heard his voice.

"Bella?" the perfect voice said. I wondered why the voice had come back. I wasn't being stupid or reckless. "Bella?" the voice asked again. This time it was closer and clearer. I slumped against the floor in denial; my eyes shut tight waiting for the pain to dissolve. "Bella!" I furrowed my eyebrows and dared to open my eyes. There was Edward crouching beside me, one eyebrow raised in question. I reached out and touched his icy white skin to make sure I wasn't hallucinating.

"Edward!" I yelped as I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed his cool, smooth lips intensely. There was no possible way that I was hallucinating. Edward gently broke my grasp and put his hands on my shoulders.

"Well I can see that your morning breath has been taken care of," he said coolly. "Now if you don't mind, I have an omelet to finish." He gently kissed my forehead and returned to the kitchen. I blushed as I realized how much I had overreacted. I finished drying my hair and made my way to the kitchen. As I entered I heard Edward humming my lullaby. He looked up at me as I came in.

"I put ham and cheese in your omelet, is that alright?"

"Sounds delicious," I said as I sniffed the air. "Smells delicious, too," I added. He grinned.

"I'm glad you think so. I've never really tried to cook before. Considering my family, there was never really a need until you came along." He slid the omelet onto a plate and set it in front of me in one swift movement. "Be careful, it's hot, "he warned.

"In that case, why don't you just hold it for a few more minutes? It's bound to cool off faster that way than if I just let it sit there." He laughed at this comment, and stood there waiting for me to taste his concoction. I picked up the knife and fork he had presumably already set out for me and dug in.

"This is amazing!" I said as I wolfed down the rest of it. Then I sighed. He looked at me curiously. "What?" he asked.

"Oh nothing, it's just that once again there's something that you're better at than everyone else in the universe"

"Nonsense. Charlie's always complimenting _your _cooking isn't he? I'm sure you could give me some pointers." I glanced up at him doubtingly. He smiled his crooked smile again and winked. I shook my head and laughed.


	2. Secrets

Noticing the clock, Edward and I walked out to his car. I was incredibly surprised not to see the shiny silver Volvo I was accustomed to. In its place was a bright yellow Porsche with Alice in the driver's seat. She honked the horn and motioned for us to hurry up. Edward swiftly opened the passenger side door and helped me in before settling himself in the backseat.

"So what do you think, Bella?" Alice asked me excitedly.

"I thought you were going to wait for Edward to get you one for Christmas."

"Come on Bella! I couldn't have waited that long!" I laughed at her exuberance.

"I'm surprised you didn't have 'Turbo' painted on the side." Alice grinned mischievously.

"Trust me," Edward said. "She thought about it a lot!"

"Edward! When were you reading my mind?"

"A few days ago when you were arguing with yourself over it. You think very loudly, I might add." He said with a grin. Alice shot him a vicious look and let out an inhuman snarl. I couldn't help but laugh at this. Edward glanced at me and shifted to the front of his seat so his head was level with mine.

"You're in a very good mood." He said.

"Well I should be shouldn't I? It's graduation!"

"Yes, but you seem more than just happy. You seem…anxious, I believe is the word I'm looking for. You're waiting for something"

"That's because I can't wait until _after _graduation." Edward's look hardened. He frowned at me.

"Why do you want this so badly, Bella?" he asked his voice cold. "Why do you _want_ you soul destroyed?" I looked at him determined to make him quit going on about my soul. "Because I want to be with you forever. Isn't that enough?" He sighed and gently planted his lips on my cheek.

"Awww! You two look so cute together!" she squealed. I could feel the heat rushing to my cheeks. "Edward, Carlisle is changing her no matter what so just get used to the idea of spending your 'eternal damnation' with Bella!" Edward glared at her.

"I'm having Esme drop my car off after the graduation rehearsal. I don't know how many more of your interruptions I can take, Alice." Alice frowned and stuck her tongue out at Edward. I laughed again. When they weren't trying to keep me from being mauled by sadistic vampires or protecting me from the Volturi, they acted just like regular non-vampire siblings would. Edward glanced back at me.

"You are planning on attending the party after graduation tonight?" My face immediately lost all humor that it held.

"Do you just enjoy watching me fall on my face?" Edward's eyes softened as he looked at my irritated expression.

"When was the last time I let you fall?" he asked me. His liquid topaz eyes began to smolder. I brushed his last comment aside and hopelessly begged him not to make me go. After a series of pleas, Alice sided with Edward.

"Come on Bella! You'll have a great time! Trust me!" She emphasized the last two words. I asked her what was going on, but she refused to give in. I then turned my attention toward Edward who simply flashed his brilliant white teeth at me.

As Edward began to climb out of the car, I realized we were already at the high school. Though I was wondering how long we had been there, I shoved the thought towards the back of my mind and let the more plaguing question take over me. What was Edward planning? I frowned as I thought that maybe he bought me something. I decided that wasn't an option considering he knew it made me uneasy when he showered me with gifts and I had nothing material to give him in return.

As we were walking to class, I realized that Edward was staring at me.

"What? I asked. He frowned in frustration.

"I despise not being able to know what you're thinking" he said.

"Join the club, we have t-shirts." I said irritated. "If you would just tell me what you were planning…" I hinted. He smiled.

"Is _that_ what you were thinking about?" I blushed, though I really don't think I had reason to. As if he _had_ managed to read my mind, he asked why I was blushing this time.

"I'm not really sure…every time you figure out what I'm thinking I blush. Maybe it's just becoming a reflex." I replied as my face became completely saturated in red. Edward chuckled and gently put his marble arm around my waist, pulling me closer. His skin was frigid against mine, but I didn't care. As he leaned in closer, the bell rang and we were officially late for class. I didn't care about that either. Unfortunately for me, he did.

"We'd better get to class," he said, stopping midway to my lips. A few moments later, Mrs. Porter walked by.

"What are you two doing?" she asked, a hint of accusation was hidden beneath her friendly tone. Edward swiftly put a few feet between us.

"I was just escorting Ms. Swan to her class, Mrs. Porter," he said innocently. He flashed an intimidating smile towards the elderly teacher. Edward's inhuman beauty dazzled people on a regular basis-- and Mrs. Porter was no exception.

"Well, ermm a-alright then. Just hurry up Mr. Cullen. You two are already late," she said flustered.

"Yes ma'am." He took my hand and led me down the abandoned hallway towards our first period class. "Now where were we?" he asked as he pulled me closer. I had to remind myself to inhale and exhale as his sweet aroma filled my lungs, taking my breath away. "Ah, I remember," he said as he gracefully opened the door to the classroom. He gently shoved me through the doorway as my face began to change colors again.


	3. Performance

As Edward and I took our seats, Mr. Teacherman said something, though I really wasn't paying attention to what.

"My apologies, sir. I knocked Bella down in the hallway just before class. I felt obligated to help her retrieve her things," Edward claimed smoothly. Mr. Teacherman then turned to me.

"Is this true Ms. Swan?" He asked. I simply nodded my head, afraid that my voice may give me away. The day I was late to class because someone _else_, Edward nonetheless, knocked me over was the day James's ghost came back to finish me off. I shuddered at the thought. I tried to focus on the lesson, but let my mind wander to what lie ahead of me tonight. Edward was planning on something happening at the dance. I had to find out what. My reputation (and possibly my life if I tripped over my own feet enough) depended on it!

After class I still must have looked puzzled. Edward walked out of the classroom with me and chuckled at my expression. "I've never seen you so deep in thought. Don't hurt yourself." This caught my attention. I turned on my heel to face him. Unfortunately, the dramatic effect I was hoping for was lost once my foot slipped out from under me. He caught me, quietly restraining his laughter, though it danced in his eyes. "Didn't I just tell you not to hurt yourself?" he mused. I furrowed my eyebrows and put my hands on my hips.

"Edward Anthony Cullen," I said firmly. He stopped laughing. Apparently he didn't know that Carlisle had told me his middle name. Swiftly he stuck his arm through mine and pulled me behind him.

As we were walking, Edward kept to himself. His jaw was clenched and his eyes turned hard. Not like when he was upset, but more…pained. I realized that I had brought back some of human instincts. Some painful memories must have resurfaced as well. I hated seeing his perfect face so forlorn, so I changed the subject.

"So, what _are _you planning for tonight?" I asked him curiously, anxious to change the subject. His liquid topaz eyes shifted towards my face. He smiled at me, the tension from before lifting.

"Why in the world would I want to spoil a surprise like that?" he asked. I frowned again. I obviously wasn't getting anything out of him anytime soon.

"Fine, then I'll ask Alice." I released his arm and turned around to head towards Alice's last class. Unfortunately, I tripped over someone as I was turning.

"Bella, Bella, Bella." Alice clicked her tongue. "You know I could tell you." My eyes lit up.

"Please Alice!"

"Let me finish!" she hissed impatiently. "I could tell you, but I'd have to kill you." She flashed a brilliant smile in my direction. Normally I would have found this humorous, but considering it was Alice saying it…

Edward must have sensed my restlessness towards her remark. He shot Alice a warning glance. "Don't worry Bella, I'm tame," she said. She then casually danced her way towards the door leading to the parking lot and leaned against the wall. I watched her curiously, knowing that she was up to something. I was watching intently until I made a horrible mistake…I blinked. Alice had disappeared. I glanced outside and saw a flash of yellow speed out of the parking lot. I turned to Edward.

"Where is she going?" I demanded. He just chuckled.

"Don't worry. We'll be meeting up in less than half an hour." I looked at him crossly. "Patience is a virtue, Bella."

"When has that ever stopped me before?" He just laughed.

As we took our seats next to each other in the science room, Edward leaned over and whispered something to me in a voice so low I had to strain my ears to hear him. "In about five minutes, I need you to trip and pretend that you hurt your ankle or something, alright?" I looked him in bewilderment as I nodded. He then faced the front of the room as if nothing had happened. Mr. Banner passed out an assignment covering everything we had learned over the school year. As I glanced over the first few questions I felt completely clueless. They must have been over topics we covered while Edward was gone; I remembered almost nothing from then. Nothing except Jacob Black. I cringed at the fact that the last time we'd seen each other, he had betrayed me by giving Charlie the motorcycles. I heard a small snap and looked down to find the tip of my pencil splintered across the page. I looked up to find Edward eyeing me curiously. I shook my head and sighed as I got up to sharpen my pencil.

I blushed as the back of my jeans got caught under the heel of my shoe, causing me to stumble a little. As I pushed the pencil into the electric sharpener, the whirring of the small device sounded like a chainsaw echoing through the formerly silent room. It reminded me of my truck. I walked quickly back to my seat to avoid the curious faces that stared at me and the obnoxious pencil sharpener. Apparently a little too quickly. I tripped over my own feet again, and within moments I became more closely acquainted with the ground than I would have liked to. I heard a few gasps come from across the room, no doubt from Mike and a few others. I glanced at Edward to see that his hands were clutching the table. I wasn't entirely sure if he was breathing either. Remembering what he had asked me and considering my now throbbing left arm, I made a show out of my fall.

Almost immediately I was surrounded by several of my classmates; Edward and Mike were, of course, the closest. Knowing what was going on, Edward made a point to make my bruising arm seem much more serious than it was.

"Bella, are you alright?" He asked urgently.

"I'm not sure," I cringed. "I fell pretty hard."

Mr. Banner shoved through the crowd of seniors.

"Alright back to your seats. Mr. Cullen, please escort Ms. Swan to the nurse's office." Not needing any other invitation, Edward was at my side. He gingerly helped me up, carefully avoiding my "bad" arm. As we walked toward the door, I cradled my arm against my chest. I saw Edward's lips twitch as he fought back a grin.


	4. Torture

After the door clicked behind us and we were a safe distance away from the classroom, I heard his soft musical laughter. He put a hand on my shoulder and gently spun me around to face him.

"What?" I asked as he began examining my arm.

"You're going to have a lovely bruise," he replied with a chuckle. I tried to pull my arm away, but his marble hands firmly kept it in place.

"Edward, my arm is fine," I lied. "Weren't you the one that told me to pretend to fall?"

"You went into shock before you hit the floor. You honestly expect me to believe that you threw yourself to the floor that hard on _purpose_?" He eyed me doubtfully.

"Yes."

He sighed in frustration and leaned against the wall. I cautiously crept closer to him making sure he was aware of my movements. He glanced up at me, his topaz eyes smoldering unfairly.

"Bella," He began "I know you're lying. You know your lying. Wouldn't it be easier to just skip this entire charade?" His eyes danced playfully. I forced myself to tear away from his gaze and folded my arms across my chest.

"Why are you so sure that I'm lying?" I asked him. I kept my voice low to keep it from giving me away. He chuckled. He could smell an easy victory.

"If you had seen the look on your face as you fell. There was nothing but surprise. No hint of a joke or a plan or anything." He paused for a moment to gauge my expression. As he looked at me I felt my cheeks begin to burn as they became saturated in red. He grinned at me triumphantly. I leaned next to him against the wall, resting my head on his stone shoulder.

"I hate being so clumsy," I sighed in defeat. I felt him kiss the top of my head as I breathed in his sweet aroma.

"On the contrary, I find it one of your most enjoyable qualities," he said. He flashed his brilliant teeth. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.

"Why?" I asked, wondering if he was being serious or teasing me. He laughed musically again.

"It gives me more incentive to stay," he began. I looked at him in horror. Was he trying to convince himself to leave again? His eyes widened for a moment at my expression before he realized why I looked so terrified. He smiled gently and cupped my cheek in hands, his finger tips caressing the sides of my face down to the corner of my lips. Despite myself I felt my heart pounding audibly against my rib cage.

"Not that any more is needed," he whispered. He gently pressed his cool lips against mine. I relaxed a little, though the thought of him leaving still made me anxious. I wouldn't be able to take it if he left again, mentally or physically.

"Besides," he continued. My attention snapped back towards reality, if this _was_ reality. I still had no idea how in any kind of reality I deserved someone as perfect as Edward.

"If I weren't here to rescue you from your near-death experiences who would?" My thoughts drifted towards the day I had decided to go cliff diving. Jacob had saved me from the vicious undertow with his newfound strength. From the look of instant regret on Edward's face, he had likely guessed what I was thinking about. He muttered something almost completely inaudible to my human ears. I was almost positive I heard him hiss something about juvenile werewolves under his breath. I wanted to say something in Jacob's defense, but nothing came to mind.

Edward stepped away from the wall and began walking towards the parking lot doors. As we walked outside, I was surprised to find the Volvo sitting in the spot where Alice's Porsche had been less than an hour earlier. Before I could blink, Edward was at standing there holding the passenger side door open for me. We sped out of the parking lot, the tension of the silent mentioning of Jacob keeping both of us silent.

As we drove, Edward slowly began to relax again. Desperately wanting the tension to evaporate I tried to make conversation. I glanced in his direction.

"Umm…where exactly are you taking me?" His lips twitched slightly at the corner of his mouth.

"You'll see," he smirked. Well that went well, I thought. Again we were silent, speeding down the highway at over twice the legal speed limit. After a few minutes, I thought I caught a passing glance at sign telling me that we were headed towards Seattle. I looked at him again, not sure if my face looked curious or disbelieving. He simply grinned and took my hand in his.

"Alright," I began "You're making me skip school, taking me to Seattle for who knows what, planning on taking me to the dance tonight because there you have something else planned that will likely cause me to make a fool of myself, yet you do not plan on letting me in on any of it. Is that right so far?" He struggled to keep his face indifferent.

"Yes. That would be correct." he replied. I sighed and turned my attention towards the window again. We sat in agonizing silence again for about five minutes until a large building came into view. As we got closer, I realized it was a mall. I swung around to face him again, my eyebrows furrowed in panic and confusion.

"What are we doing here?" I asked warily. I was terrified of what the answer might be.

"Dress shopping of course," he said with mock innocence. I groaned in disgust. He frowned at me. "Please try to be a good sport Bella. Alice is absolutely ecstatic. Rosalie's actually been looking forward to it too." I looked at him doubtfully, though his face held almost too much sincerity for me to handle. How could I possibly doubt a face that was so intricately carved by angels?

"So Rosalie will be there too?" I asked. He nodded his head in confirmation. Since the Cullens' return, Rosalie and I had been on much better terms. Sure, we couldn't be in the same room alone with each other without feeling awkward about it, but at least she didn't glare at me with disdain every time I was around.


	5. Vision

After finding a parking spot, Edward lead me to the eastern entrance of the mall. We wandered for a few moments before stopping in front of a large store that appeared as if it were about to explode from the amount of runway worthy dresses that lined every square inch of the walls. I glanced around nervously at all the dresses wondering which ones looked to expensive for me to ever even think about trying on.

Sitting in one of the plush black armchairs congregated near the center of the store was Rosalie. As Edward and I walked in through the large golden doors, Rosalie turned and smiled at us. She looked first at Edward, smiling kindly towards her brother of sorts, then towards me. Even since the misunderstandings that led Edward to believe I was dead (which Rosalie blamed herself for entirely), she had never been able to manage anything more than an apologetic half-smile when facing me. I glanced around the area where Rosalie was seated and groaned. Edward looked at me in confusion.

"Alice hasn't even made you try on any dresses yet. What could possibly be the matter?" He asked desperately. I rolled my eyes and looked at him with a you-can't-be-serious look.

"Alice," I began curtly " is no where to be found. In a store this size, that cannot be good." He chuckled softly.

"She's right you know," Rosalie chimed in. She was grinning from ear to ear, her teeth flashing brilliantly. "As soon as she walked in here, Alice started grabbing dresses." She stood and thought for a moment. "I'm pretty sure she's working on either jewelry or shoes right now," She finished.

"Shoes," Edward said confidently. I groaned again and flopped into one of the large armchairs. They both laughed when suddenly an irritated "Ahem" came into the mix.

There stood Alice with her arms folded across her chest. Edward quickly stifled his laughter, though Rosalie had some trouble regaining her own composure.

"Something funny, Rose?" Alice asked in a detached, irritated voice. Rosalie feebly attempted to keep a straight face as she answered.

"Oh no, Alice. We were simply observing Bella's facial expression when she realized you started shopping without her." Her eyes flashed mischievously towards me. "She was so disappointed that you didn't wait for her." Alice's eyes lit up as she grabbed my arm and dragged me away, babbling on about this dress and that one. I made up my mind right then. Vampire or not, I was going to kill Rosalie. She grinned and waved back at me.

I looked at Edward, who was obviously enjoying his view from the sidelines. I gave him the most pathetic look I could manage while trying not to have my arm ripped out of its socket by Alice. He smiled that crooked smile and laughed. As Alice dragged me into the dressing rooms, I took one last glance back at Edward. He had disappeared.

"Where's Edward?" I asked Alice anxiously. She paused from rifling through the dresses that she had brought in for me to step back into the store. She paused for a moment just a few steps before she was actually back amongst the clothes. She placed one hand against the wall, and the other at her temple. She must have been having a vision. Within seconds she gently shook her head and, with a huge smile, rushed off to tell Rosalie what she had seen.

I stood there quietly, not knowing if they knew I was watching. If they had been talking in regular voices, maybe there was an off-chance that I may have been able to overhear something. However, since they were conferring much quieter than any human, I heard nothing. I saw Alice make a size gesture as Rosalie gasped. They were both almost…_vibrating_ with excitement. In the blink of an eye, Alice had turned around and was halfway back to where I stood. She looked at me and grinned vibrantly. When I asked her what was going on, she said, "It's not my place to say, Bella. Now are you going to try one of these on, or am I going to have to force you into it?" I groaned and took the dress she had been holding.


	6. Set Up

For what seemed like an eternity, I tried on hundreds of different dresses only to have almost all of them criticized by Alice. A few of them she had paused to stare at for a moment before deciding, but they all ended up back on the rack that she dubbed "Rejects." For every dress I tried on, it seemed like Alice had found with another five.

Between the dresses Alice had rejected, the one's she was bringing me, and the one's I had yet to try on, it looked as if a rainbow had exploded in the my dressing room.

"Bella, I found this adorable blue one for you!" Alice said excitedly through the door. I sighed as I opened the door.

"Alice, how many other 'adorable blue ones' can they possibly have?" I asked irritably. I would have much rather been at home reading a good book than shopping. Although I had to admit, shopping with Alice was calming my nerves about what would happen tonight after graduation quite considerably.

I cautiously stepped out of the dressing room wearing a sleeveless fuchsia number. It, like every other dress I'd tried on, fit me perfectly. Of course it was no wonder what with Alice being able to see what size I would need before I did and all. I looked up at Alice, awaiting her criticism. Surprisingly, instead of telling me the dress didn't fit my curves in exactly the right places or that fuchsia wasn't my color, she just stood there staring at me, arms crossed and nostrils flaring. I wasn't positive, but for a split second I thought I heard a barely audible growl come from her. As she stood there with a pale blue dress carefully draped over her left arm, I noticed something wrong in her striking pixie-like features. Her eyes, though they always seemed darker than the rest of the Cullen's, seemed blacker than liquid onyx. It made me wonder how sinfully tempting I must smell to her right now. I furrowed my eyebrows concernedly.

"Alice, how long has it been since you went hunting?" Her eyes hardened at my question; I noticed the corner of her mouth twitch.

"A while," she sighed. "Listen Bella, don't worry about me. We still haven't found you a dress for tonight, not to mention it'll take forever to do your hair and make-up! Believe me, right now I am the last thing you need to be worrying about. Alright?" I stared at her in disbelief. She grinned back and gently lifted the dress she was holding off of her arm and handed it to me. "That one doesn't really fit you. Your personality, I mean. I think _this _adorable blue one may be the one we've been looking for!" she said ecstatically. Shopping was the one thing that could raise Alice's spirits almost as much as Jasper could. Before I could blink, I was standing back in the dressing room holding the light blue dress without any other say in the matter.

"So what makes you think that this dress is 'the one'?" I asked from behind the door as I began to try it on. She laughed.

"Well, in my vision I saw myself getting incredibly excited over a light blue dress about the same shade as that one," she replied. As I pulled the straps over my shoulders, I looked around me at all the different dresses that Alice had made me try on for the past few hours one right after the other. I zipped up the back of the dress and flung open the door.

"You mean to tell me that I just spent hours trying on countless dresses in hundreds of different colors when you already knew almost exactly what the right dress looked like and what color it was? Is that about right?" I asked furiously. Alice thought a moment before replying, "Yeah, pretty much!" I groaned.

"Alice! How could you do that to me?"

"Oh come on Bella. You know you loved it! Besides, I was having too much fun!" she giggled. I groaned again.

"Well are we done now?" I asked hopefully. Alice shook her head and furrowed her eyebrows.

"This dress is amazing on you and it fits you perfectly, but there's just one thing that's bothering me about it that I can't put my finger on—" She stopped herself as her eyes widened with realization. "The color!" she said rather loudly. Rosalie looked up from the magazine that she had been looking through and looked at Alice in confusion. In a split second she was hovering next to Alice, examining me.

"I thought you said that the dress was supposed to be this color," Rosalie said questioningly. Terrific. It seemed that everyone but me had already known about Alice's dastardly plot, yet they had all neglected to warn me.

"But Rose, look at it! It's the same color as her prom dress!" Rosalie and I both groaned that time.

"Alice, it's fine. I'll just wear the same color," I said, "It's not as if it's exactly the same dress." She just stared at me.

"No future sister of mine is going to wear a dress that looks even remotely similar to one that she's already worn before to a party of any kind," she said firmly. "Now stay here while I find out if they have one in a different color." She vanished again before I could get a word in edgewise. As I turned to re-enter the dressing room, I saw Rosalie get swallowed back into the giant black armchair and return to her magazine.


	7. Self Control

After about twenty minutes Alice returned, flashing her immaculate teeth in the largest grin I'd ever seen.

"Great news, Bella! They only have one other dress like that one in the entire state, and it's in this store! It's your size, I already checked, and it's a midnight blue! Isn't that perfect?" Before I could respond, she had danced her way back to the checkout desk where an impatient cashier stood holding a long package; presumably my dress.

I pulled out my wallet and began to finger through the small amount of large bills I had at my disposal.

"Isabella." I heard his seductive voice from behind me. I turned to see him shaking his head disapprovingly. "This," he said gently taking the wallet from my hands, "is wholly unnecessary."

"At least let me pay for half," I pleaded. He shook his head again.

"Not a chance, love." I sighed in defeat. He pulled me closer and kissed my forehead. "So, how was your shopping trip?" He asked me coolly. I could hear a smile in his voice. I looked up at him.

"You put her up to it, didn't you!"

"Elaborate please," he suggested.

"You had Alice keep me here as long as possible so you could go do…what were you doing anyway?" I noticed the corner of his lips twitch as if he were holding back a smile.

"I was taking care of some things," he said indifferently. "Does that mean you didn't enjoy shopping with Alice?" he asked changing the subject.

Ignoring his question I asked, "What kind of things?"

"Bella, you know I'm not going to tell you that."

"Why? Something to do with your plans to humiliate me at the party tonight?" I saw his lips twitch again. He took a moment to restore his composure before answering.

"Perhaps." I was going to interrogate him further when Alice and Rosalie walked up to us.

"Ready to go?" Alice asked cheerily.

"Finally!" I cried. I didn't know shopping could be so exhausting. Alice looked at me with a hurt expression across her face. Feeling guilty, I apologized and thanked Alice and Rosalie for helping me find the dress. Rosalie just kind of brushed the comment aside; she was completely engrossed in her magazine. As it turns out, it was a copy of _Car and Driver. _It made sense considering all of the Cullen's obsession with driving at speeds that would be nothing short of suicidal if a human were behind the wheel. Alice, on the other hand went on and on about how I had to go shopping with her again sometime.

As we left the enormous store and entered the parking lot, I went to hug Alice goodbye. However, she wasn't expecting it when I suddenly showed up less than a foot away from her. She whirled around at me, her eyes wild, and her lips pulled back in an inhuman snarl to reveal her razor sharp teeth. Before I could blink, Edward had put himself between Alice and me as a protective barrier. Rosalie was at Alice's side restraining her until she had regained control.

"Edward," I whispered unable to find my voice.

"Yes, Bella?" His voice was perfectly calm.

"Why hasn't Alice gone hunting in so long?" I asked anxiously, "I asked her about it earlier but she just changed the subject." He looked at me with a pained expression.

"It's my fault," he muttered almost inaudibly, "I'll explain in the car. Right now we have to take care of Alice." I dared a glance up at her. I moved my head very slowly, unaware of just how sensitive to my movements she currently was. She seemed to be doing better. She was leaning forward with her hands on her knees, though I could tell she wasn't breathing.

"Rose, take Alice to the closest hunting ground you know of," he commanded authoritatively. Rosalie nodded and led Alice to her red BMW. Alice glanced back at me smiling apologetically. She then looked at Edward and said nothing. He nodded and she continued on her way to the car. He must have been reading her thoughts, which meant that Edward wasn't the only one keeping secrets from me.

After the others had left, Edward and I made our way to the Volvo.

"Umm…would you mind explaining what just happened for me, please?" I asked. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

"As I told you before, it really is my fault. I put her up to it." I sat in stunned silence as he continued. "In the condition she was in, you probably smelled just as appetizing to her as you did on your first day of school here." I swallowed hard before speaking.

"It's my fault, too. I knew she was thirsty…I should have made sure she knew I was coming first. I--" He put his index finger to my lips to silence me.

"It's not your fault, Bella," he said gently. His words sounded smoother than velvet. I could feel my heart begin to pound faster and faster in my chest. "It was poor planning," he continued. "I don't think Alice has hunted for over a month," he said quietly.

"But, why?" I asked confused. He sighed again as he stroked my cheek with his thumb.

"I should have known better than to hide it from you," he muttered. I nodded, urging him to continue. "Everything was fine until she came back. We were trying to protect you from her," he growled, his grip tightening around the steering wheel.

"From who?" I prodded, though I feared that I may already know who he was talking about.

"Victoria," he growled.


	8. Discoveries

A/N: Wow! I just realized that up until now I haven't posted a single one of these things!!! With Eclipse only days away from it's release, I'm wondering how biased this fan-fic will be after I read what actually happens! So here's to hopin' that I can somehow magically NOT procrastinate or end up with writer's bock and can finish the rest of this in two days…yeah, we'll see about that. Well here's chapter eight. Enjoy!

I swallowed hard after having my fear be confirmed.

"But," I began, keeping my voice low so my voice reveal the panic that was screaming inside me, "I thought maybe Jacob's pack had scared her off. And now that all of you are back, why would she still come after me?" I saw his fingers tighten around the steering wheel again.

"Those dogs would never be competent enough to handle someone like Victoria. With James as her mate, she's bound to have picked up a few tracking skills. Not to mention that she could probably persuade--" He stopped, obviously debating whether or not it was a good idea to tell me anymore than necessary.

"Persuade who?" I asked, starting to grow anxious. He sighed again and ran a hand through his bronze hair.

"Bella, do you remember a few weeks ago when the front page articles were all about the mysterious string of deaths in Seattle?" I nodded.

"And you mentioned something about a new vampire on a feeding frenzy." At that moment something in my brain clicked. I looked up at him in shock, though I wasn't entirely sure if it was from the news or the fact that I had failed to piece these bits of information together until now.

"We think Victoria was the one that created this new vampire. Who else could it be?" I let that soak in for a moment before wondering aloud what her motives could be. Edward ran a hand through his thick bronze hair.

"We don't know," he said. "She may have just not finished a meal. Or she could be attempting to get help in destroying you." With this last comment he glanced at me to examine my expression before continuing. "She knows that alone she wouldn't stand a chance against your friends down at La Push," He spat out the last two words. "Let alone a coven like ours. Emmett alone could destroy her with one arm tied behind his back.

But she is crafty enough to find a way to you that we aren't aware of. So we decided it would be a good idea to have at least half of us somewhere near you at all times while the other half kept a watch out for Victoria. Alice volunteered to stay with you so I could hunt…and things just got out of hand. She's as been trying to get to you for weeks, so we've been taking turns standing guard in different areas at night. Only one of us has been able to go hunting at a time…and I was selfish enough to let Alice keep volunteering to cover for me so I could go hunt when she so evidently needed to herself. A month, Bella! I allowed Alice to go a month without hunting!" he ended, obviously completely infuriated with himself.

I hated to see him so upset, though I felt completely helpless to do anything about it. Unable to think of anything else, I lightly placed my hand on his marble cheek. He covered my and his own and soothingly rubbed his thumb against the back of my hand.We were silent for almost the rest of the car ride home, each of us caught in our own pools of thought. Edward was right about Victoria not being able to handle Jacob's pack alone. They had destroyed Laurent earlier with no trouble at all. Why should Victoria be any different? It was the thought of her creating another vampire like her that made me shiver involuntarily. What if she needed more then one other vampire? What if… I gasped in reaction to my sudden realization. Edward looked at me with concern.

"What is it, Bella?" The mere sound of his voice was enough to calm my nerves, yet cause my heart to pound harder at the same time.

"Do you think it's possible that Victoria could be trying to form her own coven?" I asked. My voice was surprisingly calm despite the fact that I was in complete hysterics on the inside. I noticed his jaw clench as I asked the question. Slowly he nodded his head, not taking his eyes off the road. After a few awkward moments of silence, he sighed and looked me in the eye. His ocher gaze was hard and serious as he spoke.

"We've been keeping track of Victoria since we came back. Before that even."

"When you tried to track her," I added coolly.

"Exactly." I sat there thinking for a moment. Why had he tried to keep this secret from me? If Victoria was anyone's problem she was mine. I looked up angrily at Edward's statuesque face.

"Why didn't you tell me any of this earlier?" I demanded. He shook his head and sighed.

"Bella, do you know what I want more than anything? What I'd give absolutely anything in the world for?" he asked softly. I thought for a moment, taking his sudden change in character into consideration. I nervously thought of his earlier proposal.

"What?" I asked uneasily. He placed one of his ice cold hands on my cheek, stroking it lightly as he spoke.

"I want you to be able to live a normal life. I want you to be able to spend time with me without having to fear for your life because my existence has put you in harm's way." I opened my mouth to ask why he thought I needed a normal life so badly, but he politely asked me to allow him to finish first. "I asked everyone to keep any news about Victoria from you--since you still so stubbornly insist on becoming one of the eternally damned, I wanted your last days as a human to be as normal as possible." He smiled tenderly at me as I felt tears welling up in my eyes. I tried to blink them back to no avail as one rebel tear gently trickled down my face. Edward gently brushed it away with his thumb and leaned closer to me to deeply inhale my aroma. As he did this we turned on to the Cullen's long driveway leading to their magnificent three-story house.

We entered the foyer--actually I tripped into the foyer causing the awaiting Emmett to roar with laughter. I felt my cheeks burn as Emmett said enthusiastically, "I'm sure gonna miss how you blush, Bells. I hope you turn extra red tonight!" I laughed shakily since, judging by the way he had emphasized the word tonight, Emmett was obviously in on the whole thing. Edward took me up to Alice's room to hang up my dress in her massive closet. She had rack upon rack of shoes, which Edward assured me she had said I could borrow any of them I wanted for tonight, hundreds of different shirts and blouses with labels I recognized, and even more designer outfits with tags I couldn't even pronounce. I gazed in awe at all the clothes around me; Edward snickered behind me.

"What?" I asked.

"You just look so fascinated. With Alice's shopping habits, a few credit cards, and a century worth of clothes to buy, does it really surprise you that much?"

"Well her closet's bigger than my entire room is! Why didn't she just by the mall?" He laughed airily and rumpled my hair. After we found a place to hang my dress among the gigantic mass of other formal wear Alice had, Edward and I went to his room. He went over to his wall to wall CD collection and pulled one I had never heard of.

"Do you mind if I play this?" he asked politely. I nodded my head.

"Sure, go ahead." There was so much I wanted to talk to him about, I could care less about what music was playing.

He put the CD in his stereo, turning the volume down low enough for it to just be background music, and sat down next to me on the floor. I leaned my head on his shoulder has he put an arm around me.

"You know," I began, "We haven't played twenty questions in a while." He chuckled softly and kissed the top of my head.

"You're right, we haven't. What do you want to know, Bella?"

I shifted positions so that we were facing each other before leaping into the ocean of questions that had been plaguing my mind that day.

A/N: So I finally post again and it's this big uneventful thing. I'll try to speed up the plot line in the next few chapters (and maybe tell you what Edward has planned??? Hmmmmm…). Finally, before I leave I wanted to give a huge thanks to quietandclear who inadvertently reminded me that I should remember not to get ahead of myself when I'm writing and to remember that not everybody lives in my head as much as I do, so it helps to explain some things ;) Thanks Again!(again again!)

**Next Chapter (aka "Twenty Questions") will be posted soon! I mean it this time!**


	9. Twenty Questions

"Okay, first question. What about school? It's our last day, and we missed the rest of it…not to mention the graduation rehearsal," I added, "Aren't they going to be wondering where we are?" He smiled crookedly and stifled a laugh.

"Do you _really_ want to know?" he chuckled.

"Oh no, I was just asking because I had this urge to sit here and feel clueless about something," I retorted sarcastically. He grinned at me mischievously.

"Alright then, if that's what you want…"

"Edward!" He laughed again, gently pressing his lips against mine. I don't think I had ever seen him this lighthearted before. I couldn't help but start laughing with him. "Why are you in such a good mood all of a sudden?" I asked between giggles. He pulled me into his lap and folded his arms across me.

"About school," he began, obviously avoiding my more recent question, "Have I ever told you that Emmett does an amazing impression of Charlie?" I sat there with my mouth agape for a moment before stuttering, "The school…Charlie…_Emmett_?" I felt his chest rise and fall beneath me as he laughed again.

"Something like that." Just then Emmett was standing in the doorway.

_"_Hope I wasn't interrupting anything," he said, pointedly looking at me with an eyebrow raised in question. I blushed again, making Emmett laugh in doing so. He then turned to Edward. "Jasper was wondering if you wanted him to turn it down a bit." I craned my neck to see him nod.

"Sure, but not too much. Tell him I owe him big time." Emmett nodded and turned to leave the room when Edward called back to him, "She's with Alice. She'll be back later." Emmett looked at him irritably.

"You guys and your super powers!" I guess he tried to compensate for his own lack of "super powers" by flexing his gigantic muscles in front of us before leaving. I laughed after he left.

"I should have asked him to do his Charlie impre--" Edward gently clamped a hand over my mouth and bent down to whisper in my ear.

"Don't let him hear you. Esme only just got him to stop for the first time in three days." I giggled again as I took his hand away from my mouth.

"I believe you were on your third question," he said. He hadn't yet given me an answer as to why he was in such a good mood, but I figured he wouldn't tell me and continued to the third question.

"Third," I started. Edward interrupted me.

"Actually, I was wondering if I could ask a few myself. If that's okay with you, of course," He said glancing at me. He waited for me to nod in approval before firing off his own round of questions.

"Third--" He stopped to examine my confused expression.

"But it's your first question," I stated. He nodded.

"Yes, but do you really think we'll have time for both of us to do twenty? What with Alice coming back soon to kidnap you into that labyrinth of cosmetics she has in that bathroom, we'll be lucky to get through ten!" I nodded, a sense of unease nestled in the pit of my stomach. Three words from his last statement made me a bit anxious. Alice. Kidnap. Cosmetics. Nothing good could come from those three words in the same sentence, especially a sentence in which I was the subject.

"Third," Edward repeated taking a more serious tone, "What made you so upset this morning?" I thought back to when I had almost allowed myself to succumb to my zombie-like numbness as I had last September. I shivered involuntarily, causing him to furrow his eyebrows as he continued.

"I heard you say my name, but when I came upstairs you just sat there with your eyes closed. And your face…I could tell that something was causing you a substantial amount of pain yet I could do nothing about it. I asked you what was wrong, but you didn't answer me; you just kept shaking your head no." He shifted his gaze so that I was looking directly into his eyes. "Please, Bella," he whispered, "Tell me what happened."

I pulled myself away from his gaze, feeling that my earlier overreaction was entirely ridiculous.

"Oh that was nothing," I tried to say as casually as possible. I took a quick glance back at him over my shoulder only to see his eyebrows raised still awaiting an answer. He obviously didn't find me very convincing. I sighed in defeat. "Fine, I'll tell you. You know how when we first got back from Italy I thought I was either dead or dreaming?"

He nodded.

"Well, when I came out of the bathroom and you weren't there, the first thing I thought was that…" my voice trailed off, unable to say those two words.

"That I left again?" he offered. He kept his voice calm, but as I turned around to look at him, his eyes betrayed him revealing the pain and sadness that he was undoubtedly dealing with at the moment. I swallowed hard and nodded.

"Or that I was waking up from a coma or something and you never came back to begin with," I added quietly. He tightened his arms around me and pressed his face into my hair, inhaling deeply.

"Bella," he sighed in a heartbreaking way. "My Bella. I just can't make you understand how utterly impossible that is for me to do. I swear to you that I can't possibly leave you. Not now. Not ever. I will be here as long as you want me, love."

I smiled and rested my head against his marble chest.

"Forever," I murmured.

He gently kissed the corner of my jaw. "Forever." That one word sent my heart fluttering in my chest. When Edward said it, it wasn't like when I was little and had a new "Best Friend Forever" every year. It was a real forever. As long as he existed, so would that promise. I sat there with my eyes closed saying it in my mind over and over to myself.

_Forever._

**A/N: Okay so the first half is out of Character and the second half is unbelievable FLUFFY! All I have to say in my defense is that I had the song "Bubbly" by Colbie Caillat stuck in my head. I'm not really sure what good that'll do, but it IS a great song! I'm actually on a writing streak right now yay!!! so I might –not definitely—get another chapter posted sometime this week! W00t!!! That's all for now!**

**--alice c.**

**P.S.-No, I do NOT own Twilight or any characters in any works written by Stephenie Meyer who is, in fact, a genius. Stupid disclaimer crap!!! Honestly! Would any f the authors or writers of anything actually post stuff here!?! They'd Probably post it on there website or something!!! Sorry…I'm done venting now.**


	10. Preparations

**A/N: Okay so first I would like to apologize for not posting anything in forever. Second, I'd like to apologize for promising stories that never actually showed up. And third, I'd like to say thanks to everyone who has ever reviewed this story! You guys rock!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing blah, blah, blah, and all that. **

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"Bella, aren't you ready yet?" Charlie asked anxiously from the living room. "You don't want to be late. You only graduate once, you know."

I caught a glimpse of Alice in the mirror that was so below her standards, grinning as she twisted another lock my hair around the curling iron.

"We'll be one in a minute, Charlie," she called back in her clear soprano voice.

"You said that half an hour ago," he called back crossly, though I could hear the smile in his voice. It was amazing how Alice could charm-- or better yet, con-- Charlie into nearly anything. She giggled as she let my hair fall against my neck. The heat radiating off of the newly formed curl reminded me of the warmth I used to feel around Jacob. I clenched my fists, forcing myself not to think about my former best friend. Trying to clear my mind I glanced up at Alice's reflection in the mirror.

"Honestly, Alice, are you almost done?" Judging by the large amount of curls already cascading down to my shoulders, there couldn't much hair left on my head for her to curl.

"You humans are all _so _impatient!" I sighed in defeat as she twisted more of my hair around the curling iron.

After a few moments, she released the clamp. "There," she said triumphantly. I began to stand up in relief that she was finally done when she placed a delicate hand on my shoulder and forced me back onto the little wooden stool with more force than I expected.

"You still need hairspray, or every single curl will go all limp as soon as you walk outside. Now hold still and close your eyes."

I barely had enough time to do so as she said before the fumes from the large, metallic, red can began choking me.

After a few more minutes of Alice insistently playing with and clipping things into my hair—which now felt like plaster—and then touching up my make-up, she dubbed me decent enough to venture downstairs.

Charlie must have given up on me ever being released from Alice's lair and sat down to watch whatever game was on ESPN tonight. He was sitting in his chair wearing a gray suit, staring intently at the stream of basketball players running down the court.

He didn't notice me standing at the bottom of the stairs until the doorbell rang and I walked over to answer it. He glanced up at me as I passed him.

"Looking good, Bells."

I thanked him sheepishly, blushing slightly as I opened the door.

And there stood Edward wearing a tuxedo identical to the one he had worn to prom. He looked me over and took my hand in his, smiling warmly at me.

"You look absolutely beautiful," He whispered in my ear. Whatever blush still stained my cheeks from Charlie's comment was multiplied exponentially by Edward's.

We walked back into the living room to an awaiting Charlie.

"Wow," he said surprised, "I didn't know graduation had turned into such a formal occasion."

"Believe me," I said warily, "Neither did I." Edward gently squeezed my hand. Charlie looked between the two of us, confused and suspicious.

"Where is Alice?" Edward asked to break the impending awkward silence.

"She's cleaning up the disaster area that is my bathroom."

He laughed at this, but I could tell it was forced laughter. We heard Alice call for us to wait for her in the car and had no problem obliging. I turned back to the front door when Charlie's voice came from behind me.

"Bella, could I talk to you for a second?" He glanced at Edward and back at me. "_Alone._" Edward nodded and made his way outside. I caught a glimpse of the sleek black car he had driven me to prom in. I highly doubted the car was there purely because we were graduating.

"Bella," Charlie began, dragging my attention back to the present situation. "I just wanted to say two things. First, I am so proud of you, I can't even put it into words. So, congrats!" He reached into his coat and pulled out a small package wrapped in blue wrapping paper.

"Dad, you didn't have to get me anything," I said surprised.

"Don't worry about it, you deserve it. Now open it," he commanded.

I laughed and tore away the thin paper to reveal a brand new hardcover copy of Wuthering Heights. I felt my eyes tearing up a bit, touched by his gift.  
"This is fantastic. Thanks, Dad, I really appreciate it."

Charlie turned red with embarrassment and cleared his throat. "The second thing, though," he said, his tone more business-like, "is about Jacob."

I clenched my fists, feeling the skin stretch across my knuckles. I struggled to keep my expression indifferent.

"What about him?"

"Well, it's just that Billy called and said that they may be coming over to watch you graduate."

I stood there for a moment, not sure what to say.

"Why?" I asked finally.

"Well, Billy said he wanted to talk to you. He didn't really give me much more to work with than that." He shrugged apologetically.

I sighed. "I really don't want to deal with Jacob right now."

"Please, Bella, just hear him out."

I sighed again. "Fine."

"Sorry I took so long," said Alice as she gracefully ran down the stairs wearing a deep purple dress. "Are we ready to leave?" she asked glancing cautiously between Charlie and I. 

He gave me a small nod.

I smiled. "Yeah, I think so," I walked over to give Charlie a hug before I left. "Thanks again, Dad."

"No problem, Bella."

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**A/N: Sorry this was kind of a long chapter with not a lot happening, but it's one of those filler chapters that just needs to be there. On that note…**

**Awww! Father-daughter sentimentality! W-o-w I've posted some really fluff-tastic chapters in the past haven't I? Don't worry, graduation can't last more than a chapter can it? Well, it probably could, but I say it won't because everyone would really like to know what Edward has planned. You've all told me since the beginning. I'll try to be less sentimental and throw in a few action scenes here and there. You know something's happening soon if Jacob's showing up. Updating soon! Really this time! I'm typing the next chapter between sentences of this!**

**-Alice C.**


	11. Silence

"Say something," I pleaded, "Anything at all. Just somebody talk!"

Edward looked at me confused. I was not usually one to mind long silences, but my nerves were getting the best of me. Charlie was following us in the cruiser, keeping Edward from going any faster than the posted speed limit. The ride seemed to be dragging; minutes seemed like hours. I needed something to distract me.

"What do you want to talk about?" He asked me, his eyes anxious. I felt bad. He had clearly been thinking about something, and my uncharacteristic need for mindless chatter was unexpected.

I tried to calm down enough to stop fidgeting. "I don't know. Just prattle on about the weather or something. You're both so quiet. It's driving me crazy."

Edward smiled. "The weather?"

The response sounded innocent enough, but I could here the tiniest bit of worry masked by his incredulous expression.

"Or you and Alice could talk about the stock market," I added.

Alice grinned. "Nice try, Bella, but the stock market really does not hold as much interest for me as you may think. Our shares don't change in price very often, and when they do, I'll see it. You may want to go back to that conversation about the weather. They'll both be equally as dull."

Edward chuckled as I sighed in defeat.

"Can you at least tell me what you were thinking about?" I asked warily, "There had to be something that had both of you completely silent."

I saw Alice's eyes flash to meet Edward's in the rearview mirror, the smallest hint of a smile on her delicate features.

"I," Edward began, "Was actually getting a taste of Alice's mind, though it appears we were already thinking along the same lines."

"About?" I feigned incompetence.

"About your surprise of course!" Alice interjected. "Don't play dumb Bella. You're almost as bad at that as you are at lying. Of course, they are a bit alike. You could probably put them into the same category if you wanted to be technical about it."

Alice's accelerating one-sided conversation put me a bit more at ease.

Edward reached across the seat and held my hand. "Why are you so restless?" He asked, though I was sure he already knew.

"Jacob is going to be there," I said flatly. "Charlie said he wants to talk to me. I don't know why he couldn't just pick up a phone. It would make things a hell of a lot easier," I grumbled under my breath.

Edward pulled my hand up to rest against his cheek. "If you don't want to talk to him, I could do it for you," he said in low, ominous voice that still somehow managed to sound as smooth as velvet.

"No," I sighed, "I'll have to do it sometime. I might as well get it over with before it's too late." I felt Edward tense at my words, but he said nothing this time.

"Are you sure? I don't want to risk upsetting you, especially not tonight of all times."

His tone was so clearly taunting. I was getting sick of this. "You know, I may just get upset anyway. It's almost cruel to let me know that you have something planned but won't tell me what or when."

"I told you when," he replied pointedly.

"After the after-party!" Alice bubbled up, "It's an after-after-party!"

I gave her a look of disapproval, but it didn't phase her at all.

Alice continued chattering until we pulled up behind the line of cars waiting to enter the already filled school parking lot. The surfeit of vehicles from attending parents and relatives made it look impossible to find a parking spot. There was a tall man in a neon orange reflective vest at the entrance of the lot waving people to various corners to make room. As we pulled up closer in the line, Edward began to laugh. He looked back at Alice.

"You're _kidding_!" he said in amused disbelief.

Alice was grinning ear to ear. "It was Esme's idea."

Edward laughed aloud while I tried to figure out what was so funny. We inched our way closer and the man in the reflective vest was becoming more visible. The thick bands of muscle around his arms flexed whenever he motioned to a corner of the parking lot.

"_Emmet_?" I asked in disbelief. Edward laughed again.

Edward pulled the shiny black car right up next to him.

"Hey kids!" Emmett said with a cheeky grin across his face.

"How on Earth did Esme convince you to do this?" Edward asked, still partially in shock.

"I wanted to come, but she told me I had to earn my seat with the rest of the family after my behavior at your last graduation," he said conspiratorially.

I didn't want to know what Emmett did at their last graduation.

Edward chuckled lightly. "Well, do you have any spots for us Em?"

"There's some in that back corner near the cafeteria. I put an illegal orange cone in the spot next to the Mercedes. Don't tell Charlie." He winked at me after this last part and even I had to giggle a bit at that.

Edward nodded and rolled up his window, glancing in the rear view mirror. I looked behind us just in time to see Emmett salute Charlie as he pulled up in the cruiser.

**A/N: Okay so not the most productive chapter in the world right? Well I've come to a conclusion: Since a certain someone (ahem…Hermione W. Cullen) does not believe that I know what Edward's super secret surprise is going to be. I'll admit that most of this I was making up as I went along, but main plot points and such were planned out ahead of time… I just didn't know what to put in between.**

So! As a personal challenge to myself (buwahaha redundancy!) I'm going to try and get the surprise scene posted.

**-Alice C.**

**p.s.- I'm posting a mini bonus chapter of a couple of deleted scenes that were so OOC that it was hilarious, but completely did not pertain to anything!**


	12. Deleted Scenes

This one was right after Edward said that Bella has free reign of Alice's shoe warehouse:

**This one was right after Edward said that Bella has free reign of Alice's shoe warehouse:**

"ISABELLA MARIE SWAN, YOU PUT DOWN THOSE FLATS RIGHT NOW! JUST BECAUSE I SAID YOU COULD BORROW ANY OF MY SHOES DOESN'T MEAN YOU HAVE A SAY IN WHICH ONES!" Alice continued yelling as she walked up the stairs, came into her room and began throwing different shoes at me. "AND WHAT ARE YOU THINKING EVEN PICKING THOSE UP? YOU'RE NOT WEARING ANYTHING WITH LESS THAN A TWO INCH HEEL! I BET YOU WERE PLANNING ON WEARING YOUR HAIR IN A PONYTAIL AND THROWING ON SOME FOUNDATION, WEREN'T YOU? THIS IS A SEMI-FORMAL EVENT! GRADUATION, FOR GOD'S SAKE!" She finally stopped long enough for Edward to tell her to stop yelling. In response, Alice held out a pair of strappy silver heels to me. "Put them on," she commanded. She was still glaring at Edward as she said it, clearly thinking incredibly malevolent thoughts.

**And this one was right after Emmett saluted Charlie because I was REALLY bored.**

"If I had a dollar for every stupid thing he's ever done, I'd buy out Louis Vuitton," Alice sighed dully.

"You can't," Edward reminded her.

"I know, I know!" she said irritably, "It was worth a try though. I wonder if I could buy the rights to Project Runway from Heidi Klum. 'So sorry. You are out. Auf Wiedersehen!'" she said in a perfect German accent. "Tim Gunn can stay tough. I like him."

I stared at her in disbelief.

"What?" she asked bluntly.

"Nothing, you're just acting very… odd today," I tried to explain without hurting her feelings.

"Don't worry, she always gets this way when large chains refuse to sell out to her. If it were anyone but Alice this would be weird, but it is Alice so it's not," Edward said in one really long fast breath.

Conclusion for today: Vampires have their crack days too.

**A/N: Back to work! Hope you liked these little moments of OOC Alice-ness (because she's my favorite )**

**-Alice C.**


	13. Reunion

**A/N: BUWAHAHAHA!! THREE (KINDA) CHAPTERS IN TWO DAYS!!**

As we walked inside, I discovered how truly anxious I was about seeing Jacob again. We hadn't exactly left on good terms. I searched through the crowds of people that filled the bleachers, but Jacob was nowhere to be found. Edward rubbed the back of my hand soothingly to comfort me.

"He may not come," He said almost hopefully. There was no doubt in my mind that Jacob was the last person Edward wanted within a hundred mile radius of us, not to mention in the same room.

I nodded at Edward's comment, not knowing whether to be relieved or depressed. I wanted to be able to talk to Jacob again. I just didn't know how.

I caught sight of the rest of the Cullens with Charlie sitting near them. Carlisle and Esme were smiling in our direction. Esme was nearly glowing with happiness as she waved towards us, a smile permanently locked on her heart-shaped face. I gave her a small wave back and smiled before leaving to get my polyester robe.

The rest of the night seemed to pass by in a matter of seconds. One second I was walking on stage to receive my diploma, the next, Charlie was crushing me with a congratulatory hug.

"Come on, Bella!" I heard Alice call over the crowd. "We're going to be late! You can talk to everybody at the party!"

Before I knew it, the small, pixie-like vampire was dragging me towards the door. Alice had a sense of urgency in her voice that I was not used to. Her eyes kept darting around like she was looking for someone. I tried to follow quick moving gaze until we were almost out the door. Then I saw him.

Towering nonchalantly in the shadows of the bleachers stood Jacob Black. I gave a smile gasp. Alice glanced in Jacob's direction and gave a short, irritated sigh.

"Stupid, hormonal, mutt! Why can't he just--"

"Alice!" I cut her off.

"Well can this wait? We need to go. Now."

"I can't just ignore him, Alice. He's my best friend."

Alice laughed humorlessly at my last statement. "Yeah, some friend. You really do have a knack for attracting the wrong people."

Seeing that I wasn't going to leave without talking to him, Alice relaxed her grip on my arm as we slowly walked over to Jacob. He raised an arm in greeting.

"Hey, Bella," he said. I had forgotten how deep and husky his voice had gotten.

"Jake," I said simply, still unsure what was a rational way to respond to this situation. I could see Alice out of the corner of my eye, wrinkling her nose in disgust. I ignored her and continued, "Charlie said that you wanted to talk to me."

"Well, yeah, but…" he stopped and looked pointedly at Alice, "I was hoping to be a bit more _alone_."

She scoffed, walked across the auditorium a few feet, and began chatting casually with Angela Weber.

I turned back to Jacob. "What did you want to talk about, Jacob?" I said, coming off more severely than I had intended.

He laughed and hugged me tightly. "I've missed you so much."

"Jake," I gasped, "I can't breathe."

"Oh, sorry," He said releasing me immediately. I could see Alice looking at me intensely. "I just wanted to talk. Well not _just_ talk," he admitted. "I really kind of wanted to warn you. I wasn't sure if those leeches would tell you or not."

"Tell me what, Jake?"

He sighed and ran a large hand through his silky black hair. He glanced around before bending down so we were closer to the same height. "You know that red-headed leech?" He said in a low growl.

"Victoria," I said, my eyes widened even though I was sure I knew what he was going to tell me.

"Yeah, her. Well, lately her scent's been getting stronger. But not just her scent. It smells like other blood-suckers. She has a group and…" He stopped.

I noticed the slight shaking of his hands as he clenched his fists trying to calm himself.

"I just wanted to warn you," he whispered after a minute, "If she's still after you, I don't want you to get hurt."

"Aww, Jake," I said sentimentally. I wrapped my arms around him and felt him relax as he hugged me back. "I missed you too."

He pushed me back and held me at arms length. "Did you here a word I just said?" He asked, bewildered. "Do you realize that there's a group of bounty hunter vampires after you?"

"Edward told me about it this morning, actually." He stared at me, his mouth hanging open. "Honestly, Jake, I'm used to the whole being chased by vampires thing. It actually happens a lot," I said trying to brighten his mood.

"Do you think this is a joke?" he asked bluntly.

"No, of course not. But you said she's been getting closer, not that she's been back, right?"

He took this into consideration. "Well," he began, "I guess you do have kind of a point. But the fact that she's close enough for us to smell her doesn't bother you at all?"

I stared at him for a moment. "Are you just trying to get a reaction out of me?" He debated his answer to this for a minute, but didn't have time to tell me before Edward showed up at my side.

"Are you ready to go, Bella? Alice is getting anxious," he said, eyeing Jacob with a venomous glare.

"Leech," Jacob greeted him.

"Dog."

I sighed and turned around to look for Alice. I didn't have to look far. Almost as soon as I turned around she was back to finish dragging me to the door.

"Bella, you know I'm all for being fashionably late, but this is ridiculous. The party is in the building across the street. Being late to that is just tacky," she said, trying to regain the momentum she had lost when she tried to drag me out of the auditorium earlier.

I smiled back apologetically at Jake and waved with the hand Alice wasn't busy dislocating. Edward smiled crookedly at me as I was pulled away from the scene. I hadn't realized until then that we had been almost the only one's left in the auditorium.

"What is Edward doing?" I asked Alice warily.

"Extracting information from your puppy," she replied casually.

"Meaning?"

"Oh, relax, they're just talking. I over heard part of your conversation and thought he might be interested to know that we were right about Victoria's coven."

"Oh," I said, confused, "Why couldn't he just talk to Jake while I was there?"

Alice sighed. "Jacob Black was right about one thing. Edward doesn't like to tell you everything. He wanted to make sure he had a chance to edit any new information before the werewolf gave you every little unnecessary detail."

I stopped walking. "Edit?" I asked, feeling my growing anger welling up in the tears in my eyes. "As in not tell me everything," I finished bluntly. I blinked back the angry tears.

Alice nodded disapprovingly, "Yes, but let's not let that ruin tonight. As long as you insist on becoming one of us, Edward wants tonight to be one of the human experiences that you remember the clearest.

I thought about this. It seemed innocent enough. I sighed as Alice and I got to the gym door. I could hear the music blaring inside.

"Shall we?" she asked, grinning.

Without waiting for my answer, she pushed open the door.

**A/N: Yay! finally an actual writing strweak unlike the pseudo-writing streaks I've claimed to have in the past! Can't author's note this... must type more!**

**-Alice C.**


	14. Gifts

**A/N: I'm really disappointed by the lack of reviews I've gotten on the last few chapters. Favorites are nice, but I'd love it if those of you who have favorited me or this story could actually review this time. I'd like some actual feedback if you don't mind.**

The party, unlike the graduation ceremony itself, seemed to drag on for hours with my anticipation. Alice had long since given up on getting me to relax and had taken a place at the center of the dance floor that was slowly growing into a mosh pit. Any second now I expected Mike Newton to get on stage and dive into the sea of people.

I stood by the refreshment table near the doorway, anxiously waiting for either Edward or Jacob to come through the door. Not being one for dancing without someone like Edward to keep me from making a fool of myself, I preferred my spot as a spectator and mingled with various people who came up to the table for food and punch.

"Hey, Bella," came a voice from behind me. I turned around to find Angela standing there.

"Oh, hey, Angela," I said lamely, "What's up?"

"Not much," she shrugged, "Ben was talking to some of the guys about scores for something. It might have been baseball or basketball. Then again it could have been bowling." We both laughed. "So where's Edward?" she asked curiously.

It was no surprise that she wondered why he wasn't planted at my side. I'd be willing to bet she wasn't the only one to wonder.

"He had to talk to Jacob Black about something," I said, trying to come off indifferently.

"From La Push, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah. They were talking about car parts or something," I lied, "You know how guys are. Cars and sports scores."

She agreed and shifted the topic to colleges, which seemed safe enough at the time. Angela told me about her scholarship to the University of Washington and about her living arrangements for awhile. Then she asked where I was going.

"Well I…uh, that is…"

"There you are, Bella," came his voice from behind me. I sighed in relief and looked up at him.

"Oh, Edward, when did you get here?"

"A few minutes ago. I hate to take you away from Angela, but we need to get going. I don't want to keep Carlisle and Esme waiting."

I turned back to Angela. "Sorry to rush off like this," I said, feeling a bit guilty.

"Oh don't worry about it, Bella. We have all summer to hang out. We'll plan a girl's night out sometime," she said cheerily.

I smiled half-heartedly. "Sounds great." We hugged one another and Edward led me out to the parking lot.

As we walked, I realized it was entirely too quiet.

"Where's Alice?" I asked, completely terrified of the answer.

"She actually left a few hours ago. She wanted to help the others prepare for your arrival."

I sighed melodramatically. Edward laughed and pressed his face into my hair.

"Relax, Bella," he whispered. "You may be opposed to it all at first, but Alice has assured me multiple times that you _will _enjoy yourself."

"Why is it that every time you reassure me of anything it makes me ten times more tense?"

He laughed again. "Are you aware of the fact that your heart is pounding as much as it was when we were conferring with the Volturi?"

I blushed. I _was_ aware of my erratic heartbeat, but, foolishly enough, I had hoped Edward would somehow not notice it.

"You know how much I hate surprises," I began to protest. Edward came to a halt in front of a small blue sports car. I looked up at him, confused.

"How many new cars do you really need?" I asked him incredulously.

"_I _don't need any," he reached into his tuxedo jacket and pulled out a small silver key ring, "_You _on the other hand…" he let the keys hang there between his two snow white fingers.

"Edward Cullen you did not buy me a car!" I was furious.

"I'm not going to force you to drive it, Bella, but it's always at your disposal. If something were to happen to your truck…"

"If you touch my truck, I swear I'll…I'll…" I was at a loss for words. What could I do? He was the world's best predator as he'd once put it. I was just a meek little human.

He took my chin in his hand and lifted it towards him. "No one is going to do anything to your truck, Bella. I promise." he pressed his lips to mine. At first I didn't want to kiss him back, but my instincts overpowered my reasoning. Kissing him should have been last thing I wanted to do, but as soon his lips met mine I had no control. The car, the surprise that had yet to be unveiled, none of it mattered right now. It was just the two of us.

Edward broke away first, as always, and held me close to his chest. "We have places to go and people to see, love," He said quietly.

I sighed and reluctantly left his arms. I sat down in the driver's seat, not wanting to upset him by not using the gift. I was beginning to buckle myself in when he tapped on the window.

"Yes," I asked impatiently.

"Two things actually," he said through the glass, "First, you don't know where we're going. Second, I have the keys," he said holding up the small silver keys.

I sighed and slid over to the passenger's seat. He got in the car and began driving within seconds of me buckling my seatbelt.

"So I'm still not allowed to know where we're going?"

"No," he replied, "In fact," He reached into the backseat and felt around for a split second before his hand returned with a small piece of shiny fabric. "Would you mind covering your eyes with this?"

I stared at him, my mouth agape. "You can't be serious?"

"Bella, put the blindfold on," he commanded.

"No."

"Isabella Marie Swan if you love me, you'll put this blindfold on."

I turned away from him and looked out the dark window. I felt his cold hand gently turn my face back towards his.

"Bella," he stared directly into my eyes, "_Please_."

I survived glowering at his angelic expression for a few seconds before giving in and holding my hand out for the blindfold.

Instead of handing it to me, he gently tied it around my head. Everything around me went black.

A/N: Well Bella's blindfolded and has a new car. I'm typing the next chapter now, but don't expect it for a few days because I have finals to study for. Plus I'd like to see how many people actually REVIEW.

-Alice C.


	15. Arrival

A/N: Okay so this chapter is kinda short

**A/N: Okay so this chapter is kinda short. Don't worry-- the next one is much longer!**

The car stopped after a few minutes. I could only imagine how fast Edward had pushed the little blue vehicle in order to arrive at our destination so promptly. The motor had made no sound while we were driving. In fact, the ride was so smooth, I didn't realize we had stopped until Edward opened the door for me and a rush of cool night air touched my face. He helped me step out of the car and catch my balance. I began to slide the blindfold down off of my eyes. I caught a small glimpse of Edward holding an umbrella over me before he caught my hand and put the blindfold back in place.

"Not quite yet, Bella," he said softly.

He took my hand and supported most of my body weight in the wet grass, making it easier for me to walk in the heels Alice had all but forced on to my feet.

We walked for a few minutes in silence before he came to a halt.

"We're going to run the rest of the way." I felt his hand gently lead mine to what I assumed were his shoulders. He helped me slowly inch my way onto his back. When I was securely in place, I felt something cover me. The overwhelming smell of plastic irritated my nostrils.

"Poncho," Edward informed me flatly, "Alice would personally tear me to shreds if I allowed rain to wreck your dress or smudge your make-up."

"Can't have that, can we?" I said jokingly.

He didn't respond. I felt a small breeze pick up as we stood there. About thirty seconds later he loosened his grip on me, so I held on tighter.

"Bella, love, you can let go now. We're here".

"Oh," I said as I slid off his back. I hadn't realized that we had been moving. "Are we _here_ here or just at the next stop on the list?"

"We're _here _here. All you have to do is walk a few more feet and I'll take your blindfold off."

My heart pounded as he led me forward. I couldn't decide which I felt more of, nerves or excitement. Edward stopped me once more. I was getting frustrated with his constant pauses and was about to say as much when his lips were suddenly pressed against mine. I forgot my frustrations and wrapped my arms around his neck. I felt him untie the blindfold as his lips moved against mine. I didn't open my eyes until he coaxed his mouth away from mine.

When I did open my eyes, I was staring up at Edward. I noticed a faint glow of light coming from an opening in the trees a couple feet away from us, but it seemed insignificant right now. Edward smiled at me with my favorite crooked smile.

"What brought that on?" I asked, curious about his unusual spontaneity.

"You did." He said vaguely and gave me a small peck on the cheek. He lingered there a moment before returning to stare at me once more. He removed the poncho that was still draped over my shoulders and placed it on a nearby tree branch.

He took my hand and turned me towards the soft glow of light.

"Shall we?" he asked.

"You've brought me this far. We might as well keep going," I replied.

He chuckled and brought my hand to his lips. He gestured forward.

"After you, Miss Swan."

"Why thank you, Mr. Cullen," I said, trying to keep a straight face. I walked through the break in the trees with Edward at my side.

**A/N: Do you think I've gone a little OOC? Tell me what you think!**

**-Alice C.**


	16. Surprise

**A/N: This chapter is long and (if I do say so myself) one of the best I've written so far. I really hope I get more than 8 reviews this time. A shout-out to all of you who reviewed AND favorited! **

**Enjoy!**

"Congratulations, Bella!"

When I entered the clearing, I was greeted by a chorus of excited vampires. I admired the small paper lanterns that were strung around the perimeter of the wide circular space. Along with the lanterns, there were small tables with elaborate purple centerpieces, a white tent housing enough food to feed every human in Forks, and a wooden panel sitting next to a large stereo system, which I supposed to be a dance floor.

After scrutinizing the decorations, I began to wonder where we all were. I glanced around the clearing.

"Of course," I gasped. The wild flowers that were peeking of the grass, the sheer perfection of the clearing…

I thought back to the first time Edward had brought me here.

I remembered that day perfectly lying there in the grass, his shirt revealing his sparkling, statuesque figure… That was the day he first kissed me. That was the day I finally realized how much I truly loved him, and how much he loved me.

The memory brought tears to my eyes. I couldn't believe he had changed his mind. There was only one thing I could think of Edward wanting to do here, and it was the thing I wanted most. I wiped the tears away and turned to face him.

"Thank you," I said, "It's perfect." I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him again, deciding that, if he was being lenient with his rules, I might as well take as much as I could get.

He broke away from me after a second. "Bella, you don't even know what this is for," he said, confused.

"Maybe not, but we're standing in our meadow. You wouldn't have some trivial graduation party here. Thank you for changing your mind, Edward, thank you," I whispered as I tried to kiss him again.

He pressed his finger to my lips to stop me. "Bella, what exactly do you think is going on here?"

"Well, you're going to change me, aren't you?" I said cautiously.

He sighed. "Bella, do you honestly still think that taking away your life is a formal occasion?"

"Well I…that is…" I felt silly for thinking so. I knew Edward's view on me becoming a vampire. It foolish to think that he'd be celebrating at an event like that. "Then I don't have any idea why we're here," I sighed dejectedly.

He chuckled and took my hand in his. "Well you were right about it not being a graduation party. I would consider this an event a bit more thrilling than you becoming a vampire, not to mention less painful for both of us," he finished with a small grin.

Edward brought me to the center of the large wooden panel. He glanced at Emmett who was holding a small remote that I could only assume controlled the stereo next to us. As Emmett pressed a few buttons, Alice and Jasper, Esme and Carlisle, and even Rosalie made their way onto the dance floor. They were all smiling brilliantly; every pair of eyes twinkling with excitement. Esme looked as if she would have cried if she could. Carlisle embraced her and gave her a small peck on the cheek. I turned away blushing, feeling like I was intruding on a private moment.

As we stood out there on the wooden panel, soft piano music began to fill the air. Edward smiled at me and bowed.

"May I have this dance?" he asked politely.

Normally I would have avoided dancing at all costs, but the look on is face made it impossible for me to say no. I sighed, "I guess so."

As we danced, the music grew louder and the couples around us made their way to the edge of the dance floor. After only a few minutes it was just Edward and I. As the song faded out and transitioned into the next one, we grew slower until we were almost at a stand still. The second song grew louder and I recognized my lullaby.

We stopped dancing completely and Edward bent down to whisper in my ear.

"Bella, my Bella,"

He kissed my neck.

"I love you more than anyone else I've ever met in a century of life."

His lips grazed against my throat, sending chills up my spine.

"I love you more than life itself."

He moved his lips to my jaw.

"I will always love you. If I live to be ten thousand years old, I will still love you."

He stopped right at the corner of my lips.

"Bella?" he whispered, this time waiting for a reply.

"Yes?" I answered, my voice wavering.

He pressed his lips to mine with startling intensity. I kissed him back, seeing how far he'd let me go. I could feel his cool breath on my lips. I parted my lips and let his electrifying breath fill me. He broke away and placed an icy hand on my cheek.

"I love you," he whispered once more as he reached his other hand inside his tuxedo jacket. He was pulling something out when he suddenly froze.

He closed his eyes tightly. I grabbed his hand, which was still resting on my cheek.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Not here," he growled, ignoring my question, "Not now!"

"Edward, tell me what's going on," I pleaded once more.

He stared directly into my eyes, but said nothing. The bliss had been substituted for anguish and frustration. "I am so sorry, Bella," he said quietly, "I have to go." He kissed my forehead and left me in the middle of the dance floor. Alice was instantly at my side.

"Don't worry, Bella, we'll have everything straightened out in no time," she said in an attempt to comfort me.

"Alice, what's going on? What's wrong?"

Before she could answer, a loud hiss could be heard from Rosalie, followed by a series of thunder-like crashes in the distance. Alice sprinted off and positioned herself with the rest of her family at the far end of the meadow. Edward said something to Emmett before turning and running to my side.

"What's going on?" I demanded.

Edward sighed and ran a hand through his tousled bronze hair. "We're having a few…uninvited visitors," he said bitterly, "Thanks to your friends at La Push, Alice had no way of seeing them."

Before I could reply, an unbelievably loud sound of boulders crashing into one another came from the forest. Edward took a protective stance in front of me. Just as he did this, four enormous wolves entered the clearing from different sides. Two of them I recognized as Paul and Embry, the other two I did not know.

Everything grew silent aside from my own heavy breathing and the growling of the wolves. I knew the wolves had broken the treaty by coming this far over the line. Only one person would have been important enough to chase this far.

Right on cue, a cacophony of snarling preceded the entrance of Victoria and two other vampires, and the two werewolves that were trailing only feet behind them.

**A/N: sigh Cliffhangers are so much fun. Now, I have two things to ask of you good people. First, I would like to ask everyone not to kill me for cutting Edward off right before the big reveal cowers in fear. And second, like I said last chapter, I feel like I'm leaning a little towards the OOC side. Do you agree? Should I rewrite parts to fix it? Or do you just want to know what happens next?**

**Reviews are lovely and give me reason to write kick-ass fight scenes! **

**-Alice C.**

**P.S. If you ever get a chance to watch Legally Blonde: The Musical, DO IT! It's totally "Ohmigod, ohmigod you guys!"**


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